Taman Orkid & Bunga Raya
Ben van Wijnen

"Visited this place today a warm sunny Saturday in December. Lots to see even though main flowering season had past. Not many people about. Pleasant to just wander around leisurely being able to stop and sit in the shaded areas. Still manage to see plenty of colourful flowers. Garden was relatively empty. But a good hour spent out in the fresh air. No charge to go and wander around."

The Orchid Garden is opposite the Bird Park. It's a part of what is called the Lake Gardens. When you leave the Bird Park behind and you cross the road, then you're at the entrance of the Taman Orkid (the Orchid Garden). It's a 1 ha floral paradise, where you can admire the orchids and and pick tips on how to grow these magnificent flowers. The Taman Orkid can be combined with a visit to the Bird Park.
The admission to the Orchid Garden is free. Only on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays you have to pay admission (RM1,-). The Taman Orkid is situated on a scenic hilltop within The Lake Gardens. Around and on this hilltop all the orchids are growing.
An adjoining section is devoted to the hibiscus, Malaysia's national flower. This section showcases more than 2,000 varieties of hibiscuses.

The Lake Garden (Taman Tasik Perdana) is probably the nicest park area in KL. You'll see people jogging, playing ball, and in the mornings practicing tai-chi.
The taxi drops you off the Bird Park. You'll have to cross the road to get to the Taman Orkid. The path is going slightly up and then you'll see the counter of the Orchid Garden.
We had to pay during our stay, because we went on a Saturday.
Don't worry, because Saturday and Sunday are the best days to visit the Garden. The admission is very low-priced (RM1.-) and the Garden is transformed into a lovely Orchid bazaar. Tourist and the local people are walking around in the garden. They are looking at the stalls, where you can buy blooming orchids and souvenirs.

The garden is opened from 9am to 6pm daily.Walk under pergolas, delighting in the exotic blooms of orchids or stroll through orchid-lined walkways! Buy a plant specimen as a memento of your visit to KL! Over 800 varieties of orchids, including the exotic species, thrive abundantly on this 1 hectare floral paradise. Cut flowers and plants are sold on weekends. You can purchase cut flowers and plants to beautify your home’s interior. Orchid growers at the garden provide practical tips and advice on the art of orchid growing. This garden attracts flower-lovers from all over the world. Orchids are a Malaysian favourite, with both commercial gardeners and hobbyists. Two main types of wild orchid and hybrid orchids - the epiphytic orchids commonly grown in pieces of bricks, charcoal, Styrofoam pellets, fern roots and the terrestrial variety which grow and flower on the ground. We were lucky to see, how they planted the orchids with bricks an charcoal in the pots. It looks easy to let the grow, but we think it's difficult.

There's also a covered area, where you can buy orchid plants. They are ranged in size from mature specimens to small cuttings. The smaller ones can be packaged in to bottles (look at the photo above), so that you can carry them with you on your trip home to nurture into a living reminder of your visit to Malaysia. In one bottle are about 50 orchids. If you want them in just one colour the price is RM25.-  If you want coloured orchids it's about RM35.- Cut flowers and plants are sold on the days of the weekend. The orchid growers at the garden provide practical tips and advice on the art of orchid growing. If you buy an orchid plant at the shop you mostly get a copied paper how to manage the plant. The Orchid Garden attracts flower-lovers from all over the world. Orchids are a Malaysian favourite, with both commercial gardeners and hobbyists (people with green fingers).

If you're walking in the Orchid Garden, the the garden is going over into the Hibiscus Garden. This is a small terraced garden, which provides a strikingly colourful panorama of countless varieties of hibiscus. The hibiscus is the 'Queen of Tropical Flowers' Among them is the rosa sinensis, Malaysia's national flower. It's called the "Bunga Raya". In the Hibiscus Garden you'll find over 2,200 varieties of rare and exotic blooms ranging from the single petal variety to multiple petal varieties in a range of colours and shades. The brightly-hued hibiscus blooms, Malaysia's national flower, are planted along the footpaths and on the terraces within the compound of this beautiful, sprawling garden. The garden has also a small information centre and an exhibition centre. We're back in the Orchid Garden We see  a lovely pond with beautiful water lilies or lotuses (that's the same). Look at the photo at the left side.

The Lotus or water lily is an aquatic plant of Nymphaea with broad floating leaves and bright fragrant flowers that grow only in shallow waters. The leaves and flowers float and have long stems that contain air spaces. The big attractive flowers have many petals overlapping in a symmetrical pattern. The root functions are carried out by rhizomes that fan out horizontally through the mud below the water. Lotuses, prized for their serene beauty, are delightful to behold as their blossoms open on the surface of a pond. In India the sacred lotus  is legendary and much folklore and religious mythology is woven around it. Tropical water lilies or lotuses are very free flowering and for the most part, very fragrant. Tropical water lilies come in shades of white, yellow, pink, red, blue and purple. The heliconia (photo at the right) we have found near the pond. There are about 40 different species of Heliconia. The leaves of this plant are paddle-shaped, and they are related to the banana family. Helicona's are sometimes called “lobster claws” or “parrot flowers” because of their beak-like “bracts” which can be orange, purple, red, yellow, pink, green or a combination of these. A bract is a leaf structure at the base of a flower.

The heliconia's bracts are so large and colourful that they almost hide the flowers altogether, which are tiny and are found inside these bracts. This keeps the flower's sweet nectar tucked away so that only specialized birds can get to it. Some species of Heliconia have upright facing flowers, and in some, the flowers dangle down from the main stem and are called hanging heliconia. They are actually quite common in the rainforest. They are also often found as ornamental plants in gardens and landscaped areas. People enjoy their colourful, gravity-defying ornamentation. Hummingirds and butterflies like to drink the sweet nectar from the heliconia’s flowers.

The greatest variety of wild orchids are in the hills and mountains. Taman Negara and Cameron Highlands in Pahang are two of the better-known localities for observing orchids but real orchid admirers should visit Mount Kinabalu in Sabah. Wild orchid plants are usually much smaller than their commercially-grown hybrid counterparts. Wild orchids are an amazing artistic display. The spectacular array of colours, patterns and sizes has evolved over millennia to make them more attractive to small insect pollinators and to take advantage of specific habitats. The flower structure of orchids gives them their character. Some are tiny and singular; others are elongated with numerous blossoms. The tiger orchid, the world’s largest at up to 3m, is a random but magnificent sight of hundreds of hefty yellowish flowers pockmarked with maroon blots.

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Busses to the Orchid Garden: from Kota Raya: #21C, #48C, from Chew Kit:    #18, #21A A taxi from the Golden Triangle will charge you RM15.- Hibiscus Garden Jalan Cenderawasih, Kuala Lumpur Tel: +60 3 2693 6661 (Kuala Lumpur Tourist Information Centre) Orchid Garden Jalan Perdana; Kuala Lumpur tel. 03/2693-5399; Stay duration at Orchid and Hibiscus Garden: approx. 1˝ - 2 hours

 

   Ben van Wijnen

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